Subdivision 1. Purpose. A state government telecommunications pricing plan is authorized and found to be in the public interest as it will:

(1) provide and ensure availability of high-quality, technologically advanced telecommunications services at a reasonable cost to the state; and

(2) further the state telecommunications goals as set forth in section 237.011.

Subd. 2. Program participation. A state government telecommunications pricing plan may be available to serve individually or collectively: state agencies; educational institutions, including public schools complying with section 120A.05, subdivision 9, 11, 13, or 17, and nonpublic schools complying with sections 120A.22, 120A.24, and 120A.41; private colleges; public corporations; and political subdivisions of the state. Plans shall be available to carry out the commissioner of administration's duties under sections 16E.17 and 16E.18 and shall also be available to those entities not using the commissioner for contracting for telecommunications services.

Subd. 3. Rates. Notwithstanding section 237.09, 237.14, 237.60, subdivision 3, or 237.74, a telephone company or a telecommunications carrier may, individually or in cooperation with other telephone companies or telecommunications carriers, develop and offer basic or advanced telecommunications services at discounted or reduced rates as a state government telecommunications pricing plan. Any telecommunications services provided under any state government telecommunications pricing plan shall be used exclusively by those entities described in subdivision 2 subject to the plan solely for their own use and shall not be made available to any other entities by resale, sublease, or in any other way.

Subd. 4. Applicability to other customers. A telephone company or telecommunications carrier providing telecommunications services under a state government telecommunications pricing plan is not required to provide any other person or entity those services at the rates made available to the state.

Subd. 5. Commission review. The terms and conditions of any state government telecommunications pricing plan must be submitted to the commission for its review and approval within 90 days before implementation to:

(1) ensure that the terms and conditions benefit the state and not any private entity;

(2) ensure that the rates for any telecommunications service in any state government telecommunications pricing plan are at or below any applicable tariffed rates; and

(3) ensure that the state telecommunications pricing plan meets the requirements of this section and is in the public interest.

The commission shall reject any state government telecommunications pricing plan that does not meet these criteria.

History: 1999 c 228 s 1; 2005 c 156 art 5 s 23